As a 128 owner, i'd say look elsewhere for a fun autocross car unless you want to put a decent amount of money in it. little to no camber adjustment, wheel selection is pretty limited unless you want to spend some money, no easy LSD option, lots of electronic nannies. i really like mine, but i've relegated it to DD duty and bought a cheapo 318ti for autocross use. even stock with a wimpy M44 its more fun.
My Fiesta was the best handling FWD car I'd ever driven.
Civic Si gets my vote..
KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:PRHT NC.
I had to go there.
Yep, if you hated long trips in a NA/NB Miata, a NC generally helps that, especially a PRHT, but even the soft top ones are much better highway cruisers than the earlier cars. I suspect the NB and ND are also better than a NA on long trips, but I don't know for sure.
If you're buying a house, keeping the truck until you're settled might make sense? Having a way to haul things can be really helpful before/during/after moving.
Maybe buy a Mod car or similar to trailer to events with the truck?
Or sell rig, buy cheap minivan that you can use for home improvement type stuff and longer trips and a NB for autocross?
just spitballing.
It breaks your soft 10-year limit but otherwise a non-M E46 fits the criteria. A 330i ZHP with 6-speed manual would do quite nicely. Get one that's had some maintenance done (you may pay a bit more than $7k) and you'll have many trouble free miles (until the water pump goes again). E36 M3 power with E46 refinement. The only problem is they never came with an LSD but that can be remedied for those who are committed.
Otherwise a Civic Si or Acura RSX Type-S would do. Enforcing the 10-year limit quickly drops a lot of viable contenders. All I can think of are the already-mentioned FiST and BRZ, maybe a 370Z?
I found a 2.3 manual Mazda 6 with 128,000 for 3,200. It appears to be very clean, no rust on it, and the interior is clean as well. It ticks most of the boxes, and I believe it will work well for commuting and autox every once in a while. Thoughts?
Tacoma X-Runner
NBraun said:I found a 2.3 manual Mazda 6 with 128,000 for 3,200. It appears to be very clean, no rust on it, and the interior is clean as well. It ticks most of the boxes, and I believe it will work well for commuting and autox every once in a while. Thoughts?
I'd say a 2003-2007 Accord or 2004-2008 TSX would be a better choice. Interior design aged much much better and engine is more lively. In 2006 both engines received a minor refresh (more power) due to SAE rating methodology changes. TSX comes with 6-speed and DOHC VTEC, accord can be found cheaper and makes the same power until ~5k rpm but has higher profile tires and a 5-speed.
Build threads to get you excited about either platform (Track not auto-x)
mazdaduece's Traccord
Tony Jackson's TSX on tsxclub
I still vote forte sx. For $12k you can get a nice 1.6t car and have money for tune and tires.
Zzw30, $12 gets you a super clean 2zz swapped or turbod 1zz one. 
Well I ended up picking a vehicle up. The more I thought about it, the more I had trouble getting rid of the truck. As much as I'd love a little zippy car, it'll have to wait. So I did what anyone would do in this situation and buy a 5spd/4cyl ranger with 300,000 for $300.
I bought it from a coworker of mine, who was the second owner. He bought it in 2004 with 100,000 miles. The plan is to do some maintenance on it, and get it up to DD duty, and then down the line it may possibly be a challenge car.
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